As I stood this afternoon at the intersection of Haight and Ashbury streets in San Francisco, a Motorola RAZR mobile plastered to my ear, speaking over the Cingular network, wearing a black t-shirt and jeans from Old Navy, having driven there in my electric hybrid car, a quick glance around me revealed a Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop (owned by Unilever) and a Gap, both being frequented by similarly-clad young professionals and more than a few twenty-something punks wearing only black with multiple piercings in their faces, almost like a uniform, I realized that the world no longer has any individuality, and the kind of hippie vibe that once existed here now is the domain of corporations, a marketing device only, a carefully cultivated and designed facade, a Disneyland of sorts.
That’s a little bit of run-on, beat poetry for ya.
So, Gene, when are you going to change it? I challenge you to start a movement of peace/love/chillout that was so prevalent back then.
Does anyone realize that San Francisco supposedly even had a place called the “Free store”? You could just go in there and get stuff for free.
Hahaha! Humans in general are so deflated by life that the activism of the 60’s is a distant memory.
Sad.
Love,
Kat